Belly's

monday

{via pinterest}

Another monday has arrived, and I'm emerging from the clutter on my desk (and on my mind) to delight in some link goodness.

• Ill Seen Ill Said's inspiring women series is always, well, inspiring. This week I was surprised to find an inspiring woman from a different kind; Roseanne McNulty is actually a work of fiction, a character from Sebastian Barry's The Secret Scriptures. I fell in love with the same character a few years ago, when I read the book for work, and so I was delighted to see Jane found her inspiring, too. I especially loved this sentiment from Jane's post:

"[...]It was about finding women for myself to admire not because they're just rich or beautiful or live charmed lives. It was about complexity and intelligence and softness and vulnerability."

• To me, books are one of the key elements that make a house (or an apartment...) feel like home. Karla wrote about some books that add not only character, but beauty to your place.
• Would you make a book wreath like this one from The Happy Home? I find it beautiful (and easy to make!) but I don't think I have the guts to tear a book apart, even if I don't really like it.
• Hanukkah is almost here! Suze put together a post about some menorahs I'd display all year round, not only on my favorite holiday.
• It turns out today's theme was once again books... I promise I didn't do this on purpose, it's stronger than me! :) Talking about books, Check out my book review from yesterday if you missed it. I'm talking about Joe Nye's book Flair.
• Friends who connected to my facebook page or pinterest may recognise the image above (stunning, isn't it?). Join the fun, too!

tomorrow is another week

{sitting in a tree via carrie can}

I've been enjoying the abundance of thanksgiving posts and tablescapes filling my RSS reader this week. Hard weeks, like this one has been, only make you appreciate your life and be even more grateful for it all, and as for the pretty table settings, Joe Nye's book Flair has certainly made me appreciate them more.

 

{from the book, style carrot}

I know I may be late for the party, but I just enjoyed this book so much. It's a candy of a read, and I'm sure even the pretty pictures alone would have been enough to satisfy me, but Mr. Nye's approachable;e tone and nifty tips were what really did it. It left me wishing for a thorough decorating book from the same author- have any of you read this book and felt the same? Mr. Nye's mix and match skills are gorgeous and unexpected- yes; but they made me feel like there's something more to them than just a pattern-color combo, like there's a soul to them.

{joe nye's bedroom, house beautiful}

This was even before I was reminded of his home that was featured on House Beautiful "small" issue. Yeah, that issue, the one the whole blogosphere couldn't stop discussing because it was. just. that. good.

Have you picked up this book yet? Do you like to play up your table settings for the holidays or just day-to-day?

Anyway, here's wishing you a lovely week, full of joy and with not even an ounce of sadness.

 

ps. If you buy the book through the link I gave in this post, I'll get a small commission from Amazon because I'm an affiliate. Just felt the need to say that:)

becoming juliet

It's not everyday that my day job and blogging (which both I adore, but which couldn't be any more different) meet... So I was delighted to write about one of the books I read for work over at the Indie Fixx Book Club. Hop over there to read my review of the book, and see the indie items which I could imagine inside this book's world. I'd love to hear what you thought about it!

design crush: the giveaway

Remember how I praised architect/interior designer David Easton last week? Remember how his design philosophy sang to my heart? Remember how I said I couldn't wait to lay my hands on his book, Timeless Elegance?

Well, if you needed further proof to what I wrote there, here it is: Mr. Easton has generously offered my readers (aka you!) one signed copy of Timeless Elegance: The Houses of David Easton.

-How do you win it?

It's pretty simple, if I may say so myself: become a follower of the blog with Google friend connect (which you can find on top of the left sidebar) then leave a comment on this post. If you're already a follower, just leave a comment. For an extra entry, like the Belly's Button page on facebook (through the right sidebar, or click here) then leave another comment. Don't forget to comment after each step so I can include you!

-Details

Giveaway is open until Monday, November 8th at midnight EST (after which I will close the comment section). Winner will be drawn randomly on Tuesday, November 9th, and announced shortly.

What are you waiting for? Go win this book!

design crush: david easton

One thing I'm drawn to in design is intelligence. Another thing is warmth. Imagine how crush-worthy is a designer that lets both of these sensibilities lead his work.

Yes, I'm talking about David Easton.

Look at this living room. Modern, Classic, Simple, Cozy, Clever - all these big, big words come to mind after just a brief look, don't you agree? But above all, I think, this is A Room I'd Want To Spend Time In- isn't that the ultimate goal of a space (a space intended for living, at least)?

{while his interiors are all about simplicity, Easton's vignettes ooze with old world charm}

His new book Timeless Elegance has been doing the blog rounds, so I was already sold on it, but today when I heard him on The Skirted Roundtable podcast, I fell head over heels for his design philosophy. The fact that he has a great sense of humor and loves reading sci-fi books didn't hurt for sure.

Had any of you bought/read Timeless Elegance already? What are your thoughts?

Make sure to hop over to The Skirted Roundtable, it's always a great listen.

{images: David Easton, The Skirted Roundtable; quote: interview for Glam}

 

 

monday morning coffee

Good morning and good week, you all! Doesn't it cheer you up seeing all those colorful shoes? Today I'm going to hunt for some shoes myself, so we'll keep it short and simple. Here we go:

• The image above is from Manolo Blahnik's home, no less. I love how utilitarian his pantry/supply closet is, a true craftsman.
• A few weeks ago Live Like You started a new series called "10 things I love about my bedroom" and the first guest was the adorable 6 years old Kate and her beautiful room (speaking about pink!).
• I love all the book-y posts recently, and it's so appropriate for fall. Can you think of anything better than cuddling with a good book when it's raining outside? Here are two from Sacramento Street and La Dolce Vita.
• The Jeremiah Goodman exhibition sounds amazing. I hope to catch it when I'm in NYC this winter. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying his home tour by Heather from Habitually Chic.
• Well, as we're a bit shoe-themed today, what do you think of these (literally) tongue in cheek designs?

{image photography: Ivan Terestchenko}

yea or nay: decorative mess

So we all know and love From the Right Bank (and if you don't, you should!). While Ally is travelling, she's arranged for some awesome guests to fill in, which for me is a great way to find new blogs to read. Yesterday's guest post was written by Tickled From A Distance, who discussed my favorite topic: Books!

You probably know about my love of books, but I actually want to talk about another subject (which is my forte): Mess.

This image would look quite at home at a number of shelter magazines, but if my Mom were to see this staircase, I guarantee she'd be itching to clean it up. I mean, it does look very pretty and echoes the shape of the stairs, but doesn't it also look like laundry that you put on the stairs in hopes that someone will take it to the bathroom on his way up?

And it's not just this particular image.  Lately, there are more and more interiors where books, objects and plain... stuff, are piled and stacked in various states of orderliness as part of the styling.

The thing is: I totally dig it. It makes a space look homey, lived in and un-fussy. But really, if you would actually live in the space- would you still love it?

That's my question for you today. And I assure you: I'm absolutely unbiased. I'm just confused.

What do YOU think?

(image source: From The Right Bank)

guesting

Hey, I know you're all busy reading Lonny, but I just wanted to inform you that I'm guest-posting today for the lovely Jen on indie Fixx: all about the books I'm loving right now. See you there!

staying stationary: notebook roundup

If you follow me on Twitter you may know I've started working on a new, extremely exciting book (which name I cannot share, sadly, because it will rock your socks when you get to know). By working I mean translating. When I translate a book there are many choices I make which might not seem like the obvious choice to the editor/proofreader. That's why I started to keep notes in an actual notebook. That way I can also remember my own reasons when I edit myself for the umpteenth time plus I get a real, hard copy keepsake from each book I translated, that also shows all the sweat I've shed over it (unlike the clean and sterile copies I get of the translation). Problem is, Hello Kitty notebooks don't display well in a gentlemen-only-club inspired office (yeah, well, I never promised to be consistent).

So I single-handedly surfed the cruel interwebz in order to find a notebook that won't put me to shame. yet still be practical. I must admit I've finished this one cruise very much disappointed, from these reasons:

• I haven't found Zebra-print notebooks (and if you'd follow my twitter you'd have known I'm currently zeeb-crazed.)
• The prices are, mostly, insane.
• The best choice, it seems, is still moleskine- which I knew well before this here search, so what have I done here, really?

Anyway, here are my humble findings, a-la Domino:

{clockwise, starting from top left: kate spade notepad 12$; mateo ilasco 13$; floppy notebook, smythson; Odenbach set of 3 notebooks, kate's paperie 18.95$; moleskine 5.95$; make it happen notebook, smythson; the luckiest girl, coverstories on etsy.}

Also, somehow left out:

{striped spectrum journal, anthro 28$}

What about the pens, you ask? Well, I could have drooled over fancy pens just to be frustrated by their prices, but I know myself well enough to state that I would have still returned to my faithful ol' pilot 0.30 (preferably in purple)- so what's the point?

Do you ever scribble in a notebook anymore (and I don't mean the digital kind)? Do you draw, do you write, do you fly a kite (kidding...)? Doesn't writing by hand hurt your fingers now that you are accustomed to typing? (it hurts mine)

- - - - -

Two notification, if you shall:

• I'm leaving on sort-of-a-vacation (the definition is fluid, as I'll be working all the time and checking on the apartment at least once a day, but let's leave it at that) and I've got quite the line-up of guest bloggers for you! There will also be a few pre-scheduled posts by me, so keep an eye on the blog.
• The giveaway ends tonight, enter it while you can because I'll be closing the comments and drawing the winner.

Have a great week, friends.

monday morning coffee

source

Thank God it's Monday (Don't you hate Sundays?) and it's time for coffee and links. I had such a bad day yesterday, and I'm happy it's over and there's a new week ahead of me. Today I'm planning on some sewing (remember the power skirt?) and I also need to find handles for our kitchen cabinets. I plan to sew a muslin of my blouse sloper because I made some changes I need to test, and this week my teacher agreed to show us how to draft a bathing suit pattern - can't wait!

But first: A deep breath and some links

• Nina Katchadourian is not your regular library organizer (cause we all have a library organizer, right?). She organizes books in all different ways and themes and creates new (clever, witty, thought-provoking) stories through her work. Truly inspirational. (Thanks go to Edna for the link.)
• Threads published a helpful article on their site on using the right pins for different fabrics and purposes. I admit I don't do a great job matching the right pins to each project, but now I'll try to change that.
• Style.com's Style File blog runs a series of interviews called The Future of Fashion and this time they featured fashion genius Alber Elbaz. Elbaz has been one of my favorite fashion designers for the last 3 or 4 years. I adore his work for Lanvin (though I don't love ALL of it anymore) and he seems so gracious and humble in all the interviews I've read with him.
• I hope I'm not tiring you with my constant linking to Lisa Borgnes Giramonti's blog, A Bloomsbury Life, but I can't stop. I don't know what's better in this post about her office: the writing or the photos.
• I'm re-watching The West Wing for the umpteenth time. Any other Aaron Sorkin / Bradley Whitford fans out there? I'd love to analyze every bit of this legendary series ad nauseum (I, like Jedd Bartlet, love Latin; Unlike him - I don't really know much of it).

That's all for now. How are you doing today? Found an interesting website? Had your coffee yet?